


Learn to Love You Better

by Archi_ie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, I'll add more tags when the time comes, M/M, One-Sided Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Tutoring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:43:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archi_ie/pseuds/Archi_ie
Summary: In which Keith is failing his math course, James is a surprisingly good tutor, and Shiro just wants to help.





	Learn to Love You Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't written a fic in a long time & have never written anything for Voltron before so please go easy on me the first couple of chapters here I promise it'll get better.
> 
> Anyway here you go

“I think you should get a tutor,” Shiro says, his mouth still full of the burger he just took a bite of. He chews and swallows before continuing, “Differential equations can be difficult for people who _haven’t_ been out of school for four years—there’s nothing wrong with needing a little help.”

“I don’t need help,” Keith snaps back, glaring down at his own burger, his appetite battling with his irritation.

The thing is, when you go back to university after dropping out four years prior, you find yourself a lot farther behind than everyone else in your courses. Which isn’t a problem, because Keith is smart and can get good grades when he wants to.

Except it _is_ a problem, because he’s failing his Differential Equations course.

“Keith,” Shiro says around another bite of burger and, _god_ , you would think he hadn’t eaten for days, not that morning, “Let me at least give you the number for a good tutor. You don’t have to call, but at least do this for me.”

And that’s where Shiro’s got him, whether he knows it or not, because Keith would do anything for Shiro.

“Why can’t you tutor me?” Keith tries, because Shiro _is_ a tutor, even if he doesn’t do maths. He’s good at it, he could make an exception.

“Keith.”

“Fine,” Keith grumbles, “I’ll take the number, but I’m not calling.”

Which is something he thought he would hold true to, until five hours later when he’s sitting at his desk and has to be physically restrained by his dog to prevent him from pulling out his own hair.

It’s then that he realizes that maybe, just maybe, Shiro was right, and he does need help.

It’s not something that’s easy to admit, because Keith will be the first to admit he has a problem when it comes to accepting help—case A being Shiro himself.

Shiro had been the first person to genuinely try to help him after his father’s death—almost ten years after the death actually took place. Shiro knew first hand how difficult Keith could be when it came to accepting help, and he was probably the only person who could convince Keith to accept help to this day.

So he picks up his phone and takes a deep breath before punching in the number Shiro had written on a ripper piece of paper.

“Hello?” A voice comes through the phone and Keith takes another deep breath to keep himself from hanging up immediately.

“Are you one of the university’s tutors? Shirogane gave me your number.”

“I am. What are you looking for?”

“I’m having some trouble with differential equations, I guess.” Keith grumbles, and part of him hopes the person on the other end of the line couldn’t hear him and will hang up.

That appears to be too much to hope for, because they reply immediately, as though he had spoken clear as day.

“Lucky for you, that’s actually my specialty.” _Great_ , Keith thinks, not at all sarcastically.

“Right, well, can we meet up or something?” He asks reluctantly.

“Of course,” The voice says, “Just tell me your name and what date and times work for you and we can set something up.”

“Keith, and Wednesday’s after three work best if you can do that.”

“Keith?” The voice repeats, a strange, strained tone taking over their voice, and Keith frowns.

“That’s what I said.”

“Okay,” The voice replies, and Keith hears the person on the other end of the line clear their throat, “Right. Uh, you said Wednesday’s after three? Would this Wednesday at seven work for you? We can meet on the second floor of the library, at the tables towards the back.”

“Sure,” Keith says, “See you, then.”

“Yeah, see you,” The voice responds, and Keith ends the call.

It isn’t until he’s hung up that he realizes he never got the tutors name, but he decides that he doesn’t care enough to call back. He’ll figure it out when he gets to the library on Wednesday. It’s a problem for Future Keith to deal with.

He doesn’t put his phone away immediately, and instead hesitates a moment with it in his hand before letting out yet another sigh and opening his messaging app, because he’s weak.

**From: Keith**

_I called that tutor._

**From: Shiro**

_Really? :D_

_How’d it go?_

**From: Keith**

_Fine. We’re meeting up on Wed._

**From: Shiro**

_So there were no issues?_

**From: Keith**

_Why would there have been any issues?_

**From: Shiro**

_No reason._

**From: Keith**

_Whatever. I just figured you’d want to know._

**From: Shiro**

_I’m proud of you Keith :)_

Keith slams his phone down on his desk, his head following soon after as he lets out a groan. He really is weak when it comes to Shiro.

His dog nudges his leg and he looks down, burying his fingers in the mutt’s fur as he strokes him.

“You don’t think I’m weak, do you?” He asks, but the look he gets in return lets Keith know that that’s exactly what he thinks. So much for a dog being man’s best friend.

* * *

Wednesday’s are a good day for Keith—it’s the day he gets to go down to the aerodrome and _fly_.

Four years ago, he dropped out of school after Shiro disappeared. He did his own thing for a while, looking for Shiro and trying to make ends meet while struggling through supporting himself on his own at nineteen. A year later, Shiro was back, and along with him came a private aerodrome owned by a girl Keith’s age, Allura, and her eccentric uncle, Coran. It was originally owned by Allura’s father, passed on to her and Coran after his untimely death.

They ran air rescue missions out of their aerodrome, though Keith didn’t know the details of how they operated. What he _did_ know was that, after rescuing Shiro, they offered to let him work there until he got back on his feet upon discovering he had an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering. From there, Shiro put in a good word for him and Coran took him under his wing, giving him the training needed for the private pilot certification he had always wanted.

After some time, experience, and a couple certifications, Allura allowed him to fly her father’s old jet, which was now his aircraft of choice. It was a show of trust between the two of them, an olive branch after some rocky times and something Keith would always appreciate.

A year ago, Shiro started trying to convince Keith to go back to school after going back himself, and Allura and Coran immediately jumped on the train. They, along with some other workers at the aerodrome, eventually wore Keith down and, well, here he was, going in for tutoring.

He had had a good day flying Allura’s father’s jet, dubbed Red for her bright red colouring, which was to be expected of a Wednesday, and part of the reason Keith chose this day for tutoring.

He figured if he went in in a good mood it couldn’t go _that_ badly.

He was wrong, because the moment he made it to the back tables of the second floor of the library, his eyes found on the only person sitting alone. They locked eyes and stared for a moment, no surprise evident on the other’s face, meaning he _is_ Keith’s tutor and he had known exactly who he had agreed to meet.

“No,” Keith says loudly, attracting the attention of some nearby students, but he doesn’t care, instead turning on his heel and walking out.

Or trying to walk out, because his wrist is caught by someone before he can make it more than a couple steps and, wow, James Griffin was sure a lot faster than Keith remembered.

“Keith,” James starts placatingly, but Keith isn’t interested in hearing it.

See, he and James weren’t exactly _enemies_ , but they sure as hell weren’t friends, and Keith wouldn’t even consider him an acquaintance. Last time Keith had seen the other, the feeling was mutual.

Sure, it had been four years, but if Keith was good at anything, it was holding a grudge. And flying, but that was besides the point.

James and Keith had attended the same high school, and when a scholarship opportunity came to their small school, everyone was sure it would go to James. Until Shiro came along and saw something in Keith no one else did, and the scholarship went to the boy no one expected.

Despite still getting into the university with other scholarships, James held a bitterness towards Keith that led to some scathing comments and a fist fight. After that, they had steered clear of each other, save for some shared glares when they both caught sight of each other and silent competition in their shared classes.

Towards the end of the year, James had started easing up for some reason, but Keith still hadn’t let it go when he punched the head of the department in the face and dropped out. The last he had seen of James had been his shocked face as the punch was thrown, and Keith had always thought that was it.

Their time as rivals had come to an end.

Except, now Keith was being pulled face to face with James again.

“You’re the one that called me,” James reminds Keith, and Keith scowls.

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it was you,” Keith bites back.

“You didn’t?” James asks, blinking slowly, and Keith takes the chance to yank his wrist away.

“Of course not,” Keith snaps, “Do you really think I would have called if I did?”

With that, Keith walks away.

This time, James doesn’t follow.

* * *

“ _What the fuck_ ,” Keith hisses, shoving past Shiro and into his apartment before the older man has a chance to open the door more of a quarter of the way.

“Oh no,” Shiro whispers and Keith turns around to glare at him as he closes the door.

“' _Oh no_ ,’” Keith mocks, still glaring, “Why the fuck did you give me the number for James fucking Griffin?”

“Look, Keith,” Shiro starts, holding up his hand placatingly, “I know you don’t like him, but he’s the best tutor the university has for Differential Equations.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Keith replies, “I don’t need the best. I’m not _that_ bad at it.”

“No, but…” Shiro hesitates for a moment, “You two have similar learning styles, and I thought he would be the best fit. I _did_ think about this, Keith. You know I wouldn’t put you in a situation I think is bad for you.”

Keith deflates at Shiro’s last sentence, letting out a sigh and moving to drop on the couch in his living room.

“I know,” He says, “But, really, James Griffin? You couldn’t have picked literally anyone else?”

“I know you guys have had your differences,” Shiro begins, moving to sit next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, “But I really do think Griffin has changed. When I asked him if he would be willing to tutor you, his only concern would be that _you_ wouldn’t want to.”

“You _asked_ him?” Keith’s voice goes high, because it’s one thing to give him the number for James, but it feels a lot more like betrayal to know they talked about him beforehand.

“I wasn’t going to put you in a situation that might not be safe, Keith,” Shiro defends, and Keith lets out another sigh. It seems as though he’s been doing that a lot lately.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbles, because he is. He came barging into Shiro’s apartment after storming away from his old adversary, just like he would have done as an angry 18-year-old. He wasn’t supposed to be that kid anymore, “I guess seeing him just… Set me off, a bit. I haven’t seen him since… the incident, and I had never expected to, I guess.”

“I’m sorry for not telling you,” Shiro gives his shoulder a soft squeeze, “I just knew you wouldn’t go through with it if I did. I can find you a different tutor, or I can give you a list so you can—”

“No,” Keith cuts him off, “It’s okay. I’ll… I’ll call James and see if he’ll give me another chance.”

“Really?” Shiro asks hopefully, and Keith is reminded of when his dog was a puppy and learned what the word ‘walk’ meant, “It’s okay if you don’t want to, Keith. I understand.”

“No, it’s fine,” Keith says, “I’ll need to face him eventually, anyway. And he didn’t actually do anything. I was just… Brought back to when I was 18 and alone, I guess.”

“I’m sorry, Keith,” Shiro tells him, voice soft. It’s something they always brush around, “But you _are_ different now. You aren’t alone anymore. You have me, and everyone at the aerodrome, and your mom and Kolivan, even if they’re across the world right now. You know if you called, they’d be here in a heartbeat. Things are different now, and I’m sure it’s the same way for Griffin.”

“I know,” Keith replies, “Sometimes I forget, but… I know. Thank you, Shiro.”

“Anything for you, Keith,” Shiro grins, and Keith wonders if Shiro knows the way so many of the things he says make his heart flip.

* * *

Calling James again is something Keith wants to put off as long as possible, but he knows that’s not fair to James, and he really _does_ need help with his coursework.

So, as soon as he gets home from Shiro’s he pulls out his phone and goes through his recent history to find James’ number. It’s not hard, because it’s—luckily—the last number he called. His mom is always the one to call him from private numbers, and everyone else just texts him.

He checks the time—11 pm—and decides that James is a university student who does tutoring on the side and can’t possibly be asleep yet, if Shiro is anything to go by.  He presses the call button and brings the phone up to his ear as it rings.

“James,” He begins when he hears the other pick up, “It’s Keith—”

“I know,” James cuts him off, and Keith pauses in confusion, “I saved your number. Have you called to yell at me some more? Because that’s not really what I want to deal with it at eleven at night.”

“Then why did you answer?” Keith asks, throwing his planned speech out the window. He’s never been good at following through with long-term plans, anyway.

“In case you wanted to do something other than yell,” James tells him, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“I guess you’re in luck, then,” Keith says, “Because I didn’t call to yell.”

“Seriously?” James asks, sounding surprised, and Keith frowns. Is it really that hard to believe?

“Yeah,” Keith replies, “I wanted to… apologize. For being a dick earlier. And ask if you would still be okay with tutoring me.”

“Seriously?” James repeats, and Keith lets out a sigh, “Sorry, it’s just… Really? The almighty Keith is apologizing to _me_?”

“I can hang up right now, Griffin,” Keith snaps, and James chuckles.

“I’m kidding,” James tells him, “And… I’m sorry, too. For the way I acted after high school. I was jealous and it wasn’t fair to you.”

“Okay,” Keith says, because this is getting out of the range of his comfort zone, “Does that mean you’ll tutor me?”

“Yeah, why not?” James says after a moment, “But if you walk out again, you’re still paying me.”

“That’s fair,” Keith agrees, “Would next Wednesday work?”

“Yeah, seven again?”

“Sure.”

“See you then, Keith.”

“Right. See you then.”

With that, the line goes dead and Keith puts his phone down. He lets out a sigh and goes to lie down in bed.

At least he has another week to prepare himself for seeing him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think I know anything about American aviation laws you are dead wrong but I'm not gonna let that stop me
> 
> Anyway feel free to ask me any questions & let me know if you find any mistakes or anything


End file.
